Partial: focuses on one particular event or period in a person's life
Fictionalized: may be based on facts, but the authors may have to "fill in the blanks" with information that the historical record deosn't provide
Picture Book: Uses text and illustrations to engage and inform students about the important events in a person's life
Combines the characteristics of the novel and storytelling with history
description - to give the reader background of the historical context
characters - not only the person the biography is about, but also the people who they interacted with and who affected them
includes a theme which readers can relate to
Includes facts, details, and short stories from a person's life
Describes how the person affects other people around them
Why should children read biographies?
Allows children to learn about and identify with people from the past and the present
Gives children examples of people who they can relate to or be inspired by
Reading biographies helps students prepare to write biographies
Reading biographies provides a model for students
By writing their own biographies about a person, students are able to better understand and connect to the individual
Reading biographies helps students develop their critical thinking skills
When students compare and contrast the information presented in several biographies about the same person
Biographies provide students with another type of source
Students do not just have to rely on the internet or textbooks as sources
Helps students develop "constructive skeptism" in other words, not just accepting the information as true and accurate in the text. These skills are helpful in creating students who will be informed citizens. "Constructive skeptism" can be developed by:
Looking at the sources the author uses
Thinking about the author's point of view
Thinking about the information the author includes in the biography
What are the necessary skills needed to read biographies?
Students need to be familiar with the text structure of biographies
Students need to be familiar with non-story type texts
Students should be taught text structures like compare and contrast, sequencing, cause and effect, and problem-solution in advance
Critical thinking skills
Students need to be able to evalute sources - they must ask themselves if the author is a reliable source
Draw conclusions
Compare and contrast information from biographies about the same person
Teaching tips:
Provide direct instruction of the text and organizational structure of biographies
Use modeling, guided practice, and independent practice to enhance instruction of the text structure
Point out key terms which that help tell the story and add to understanding
Practice critical thinking skills by giving students several biographies on the same person
Comparing and contrasting the inform ation presented in various biographies will help students with analyzing information and learn that historical information will sometimes vary
Use graphic organizers which help students understand the organization of the text structure as well as make the information more clear
Having students write biographies can help students learn to read and understand biographies in depth
How can biographies be used in the classroom?
They can be used in almost any content area to give students more information about important and famous people during a unit of study
Social Studies: can read biographies of famous historical people (Benjamin Franklin,Rosa Parks, John F. Kennedy. etc)
Science: students can read the biographies of different scientists, inventors, and astronauts (Thomas Edison, Neil Armstrong, etc)
Math: students can read biographies about famous mathematicians or those who created the math theories (Paschal, Fibonacci, etc)
Language Arts/Reading: students can read about their favorite authors (Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle, Maurice Sendak, etc)
Biographies can be used when celebrating a certain person/holiday so that students can learn even more about the person.
For example: In preparation for Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, students can read his biography
Similarly, students can read biographies about Christopher Columbus (and other explorers) in the month of October for Columbus Day
Biographies can be a good way to get struggling readers or students who dislike to read by having them read biographies about their favorite athlete, singer, actor, etc.
For example, the biography of Miley Cyrus or Michael Jordan
References Moss, B & Lapp, D. (2010). Teaching new literacies in Grades K-3: Resources for 21st century classrooms. New York: Guilford.
Moss, B & Lapp, D. (2010). Teaching new literacies in Grades 4-6: Resources for 21st century classrooms. New York: Guilford.
Megan Garlette
Title:Famous Children: Mozart by Ann Rachlin Citation: Rachlin, A. (1992). Famous Children: Mozart. London: Barron's Educational Series Reading Level: DRA: 38 Guided Reading: O Suggested Literacy Strategy: Predicting would be a good comprehension strategy to use in conjunction with this book. This story details the early years of Mozart’s life, however they go over little known facts about the musician. Students can make predictions about Mozart’s success on the various challenges he faces in the story. Description: This book focuses on the childhood of Mozart and details the amazing feats he accomplished during the first few years of his life. Starting at age five, Mozart wows his father and is soon taken all around the world to display his musical talents. Readers will become engaged in the funny tales of the young child’s amazing talents.
Kaitlin Farrell
Citation: Venezia, M. (1988). Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists: Picasso.
Chicago, IL: Children’s Press. Reading Level: 2-5; DRA: 38; Guided Reading: P Suggested Literacy Strategy: Evaluating; Since the book revolves around art and includes examples of art, students can practice making judgements about the information that is presented. Description: This book covers the life story of the famous painter named Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). The book covers how his life has effected his work, how Picasso’s pieces of art have changed over time, and why he is so well known. It includes many examples of Picasso’s most famous paintings. These paintings and their styles are then compared and contrasted. Cartoons drawn by the author are also included to describe scenes in Picasso’s life in a humorous way. There are no chapters and the text flows easily as if reading a story.
Jeanna Calia Book: Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney Citation: Pinkney, A. D. (1998). Duke Ellington. New York: Hyperion Books For Children. Reading Level: DRA: 28 Guided Reading: L Grade Level Equiv: 5.5 Description: This biography is about the jazz musician, Duke Ellington, and it depicts the life of Duke as a young boy and his rise to fame during a time of racism. The story explains how he was a big part of the "evolution" of Jazz music. The biography describes Duke’s enormous talent as a piano player and how he was a great part of Harlem's Cotten Club history. He even performed at Carnegie Hall. The illustrations in this book are also bright and rhythmic with the writing. Suggested Literacy Strategy: Students can use the Drawing Conclusions comprehension strategy when reading this book because they will be able to picture themselves in Duke’s shoes. Students can picture themselves with a similar special talent like Duke’s and come up with ways as to what their future may entail.
Randee Myers Book: Harriet Tubman: A Woman of Courageby Renée Skelton Citation: Skelton, R. (2005). Harriet Tubman: A Woman of Courage. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc. Reading Level: DRA: 38; Guided Reading: P Description: This biography tells the inspiring tale of Harriet Tubman, a former slave who fought for her own freedom as well as the freedom of other slaves. With a variety of interesting pictures and child-friendly text, this book pulls the reader into a time in American history where Harriet Tubman heroically helped hundreds of African Americans escape on the Underground Railroad. Suggested Literacy Strategy: Biographies are filled with many interesting facts and useful information that allow students to make connections between
the lives of people in the past and the events of today. The strategy of summarizing, in which students are asked to recall or retell only the important information would be helpful for reading this type of text because it helps students focus on only the most significant events that occurred during a person’s life.
Casey Caruso Book: Johnny Appleseed by Eva Moore APA Citation: Moore, E. (1970). Johnny Appleseed. New York, NY: Scholastic Book, Inc. Reading Level: DRA= 24, Guided Reading= K Suggested Literacy Strategies: Students can use the summarizing comprehension strategy to better understand why Johnny Appleseed is a household name today. After they are finished reading the story, they can summarize it, highlighting the main points. Description: This biography tells the story of Johnny Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. There are nine short, kid-friendly chapters in this book explaining how Johnny Chapman got the name Johnny "Appleseed." This book takes the reader through the life of Johnny Chapman from when he was just a little boy- up until he was an old man. Johnny Appleseed was a wonderful man and is now a household name!
Michelle Bonnetti Book:The Beatles Citation: Venezia, M. (1997), The Beatles. New York: Children's Press. Reading Level: 30-34, N Description: This book summarizes the lives of the memebers of The Beatles from when they are young kids. It tells how they all became interested in music and how they met each other and became a band. It talks about how the band functioned and worked together and then about why they split up. Suggested Literacy Strategy: I would use the Synthesizing strategy for this book. Students could explore a bunch of different activities after readin gthis book. They can create a project showing what they've learned combining the knowledge form this book and the knowledge they received from other sources. They can compare what they read to other similar texts or they can compare the different members of the band to other members.
Kayleigh Shaw Book: Dr.Seuss Citation: Wheeler, Jill C. (1992). Dr. Seuss. Minneapolis, MN: Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. Reading Level: Guided Reading- NR; Grade Level- 4.5 Description: This book tells the life story of Dr. Seuss, born Theodor Geisel. The book is divided into sections. Each section tells something different about Dr. Seuss and the important aspects of his life. A great deal of information is given about Dr. Seuss, ranging from his childhood to his adult life and his writing and books. This book gives insight as to why Dr. Seuss wrote the way he did and his inspiration for his books. Suggested Literacy Strategy: Two strategies that can be applied to this text are synthesizing and summarizing. Students can practice summarizing after reading this book to help them pick out the most important information from the book and great deal of information presented. Students can also compare the information found in this text to either other biographies or to Dr. Seuss' books. Students can take what he says about his inspiration for his books and about specific books he wrote and compare that knowledge to those specific books.
Liz Kalajian Book:Abe Lincoln’s Hat Citation: Brenner, M. (1994). Abe Lincoln’s Hat. New York: Random House Children's Books. Description: This book presents a biography of our important 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. It represents Abraham Lincoln in a humoristic manner and tells the story of his life as a young lawyer who kept all of his papers in his tall stovepipe hat. This short biography humanizes Abraham Lincoln and contains all true stories accompanied by lively watercolor illustrations. Reading Level: DRA: 28, Guided Reading: M, Grade Level: 2-3 Suggested Literacy Strategy: The readers can use the literacy strategy of drawing conclusions so they can put themselves in the author’s shoe to evaluate and determine what was the purpose or agenda of writing this book. This book would serve as the epitome to use this literacy strategy because it depicts the period of time when Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer and the readers should conclude the purpose for including that part of his life in the book since he eventually became one of the presidents of the United States.
Jasmine Martin Book: Strange Mr. Satie Citation: Anderson, M.T. (2003). Strange Mr. Satie. New York, NY:Viking Description: Picture book biography of the a musician by the name of Erik Satie. Though he was a shy man Satire had a strong love for music. He played the drum, piano, and he composed music. He wanted to create music that was love by both young and old people and followed his own musical rules, but many did not like it. He began very successful composing ballets in Paris. The pictures in the book are really colorful and lively students will enjoy looking at them. Reading Level: DRA: 28, Guided Reading: M Suggested Literacy Strategy: Students can use the summarizing literacy strategy to point out the most important points of Mr. Satire's life and write brief passage summaries of the book.
Lauren Masco Book:Joan of Arc Citation: Poole, J. (1998). Joan of arc. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Reading Level: Ages 8-11 Description: This picture book follows the life of Joan of Arc from her life as a farmer's daughter to martyrdom. It discusses how God spoke to her and told her it was her duty to save the city of Orleans from being taken over by the English, and to crown the real King of France. She leaves home, dresses like a man, learns to fight, and earns the respect of others as she leads them into battle against the English. She succeeds in beating the English and in crowning the proper King, however soon the English sentence her to death by burning under the accusation of witchcraft. She is put to death, but remains a saint and hero. Suggested Literacy Strategy: The summarizing strategy would work best for this book, as there are a lot of facts and information given to the reader. The students should pick out the most important parts of Joan of Arc's story and summarize her life and good deeds. Alli Clare
Title: Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford Citation: Weatherford, C. B. (2006). Moses. New York, New York: Hyperion Books for Children. Description:Moses tells the story of Harriet Tubman and her journey to freedom with vivid pictures and text. It takes her story and elaborates her faith in God. With the use of font changes, the voice of God interjects and talks to Harriet. The reader follows Harriet through her first escape from the South and her arrival in Philadelphia. Due to her undying faith in God, she trusts that she can return to the South and free her family members. Harriet then makes nineteen more trips to the South using the routes of the Underground Railroad and her faith in God. Reading Level:
Grade: 3.5
DRA: 40
Guided Reading: Q Suggested Literacy Strategy: Summarizing. This book has a great beginning, middle, and end that I think would make it easy for students to be introduced to the concept.
Gianna Seidler Book Title: The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles Citation: Coles, R. (1995). The Story of Ruby Bridges. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. Reading Level: DRA: 38; Guided Reading: O; Grade: 5.4 Description: This book presents a biography of Ruby Bridges, the only African American child to attend a New Orleans elementary school after desegregation was court ordered in 1960. It elicits elements of shock as the author explains how the federal marshals escorted the brave six-year-old past angry crowds of white protestors who surrounded the school. The reader then follows Bridges through her school years, which were often alone, as the parents of the white students ignorantly kept them home and away from her. Coles' use of quotes from her teacher also adds to the story's powerfulness, as it allows the reader to put the emotions of this compelling time period into perspective. Finally, the use of watercolors make the illustrations vivid and colorful, thereby contributing to its captivating quality. Suggested Literacy Strategy: Because this biography is filled with a great deal of facts, some of which are more important than others, the strategy of summarizing, where students are asked to retell only the important information, would be applicable for reading this story. Applying such a strategy would force the reader to pay specific attention to only the most significant events that occurred Ruby Bridges' life, thereby enhancing its usefulness.
Jen Levine
Book:Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson Citation:Davidson, Margaret. (1969). Helen Keller. New York: Scholastic. Description:Helen Keller is a biography about a girl named Helen Keller. Helen was born deaf and blind. Unable to see, hear, or speak, Helen was unable to communicate with those around her. A woman named Anne Sullivan worked with Helen to teach her how to talk, read, and communicate with others. This book contains many stories of the hardships and struggles Helen went through and how she worked hard to overcome them. Reading Level:DRA: 28; Guided Reading: M Suggested Literacy Strategy:Students can use the main idea comprehension strategy while reading this book. Helen Keller overcame many obstacles in her life and it is shown in this story. Students can look at the main idea of this story and be inspired. They should realize after reading this book and looking at the main idea that they can overcome anything if they work hard at it.
Erin Jackson Book: A Picture Book of Anne Frank by David A. Adler Citation: Adler, D. (1993). A Picture Book of Anne Frank. New York, NY: Holiday House. Reading Level: DRA: 28, Guided Reading: M, Grade Level: 5.2 Description: This picture book chronicles the life of Anne Frank who was a young Jewish girl who lived in Poland during World War II. She wrote a diary describing how she lived in hiding until they were caught and sent to a camp, where she died. In the back of the book is a timeline of the important dates in Anne Frank’s life. The book also provides a lot of background information on the Holocaust. Suggested Literacy Strategies: There are a lot of comprehension literacy strategies that could be used with this biography, such as summarizing, synthesizing, and drawing conclusions. Since there are a lot of facts in the book, summarizing would be good strategy for students to use to pull out the most important information. In addition, if this book is read along with other similar books on the same topic, students can use synthesizing to find similarities in the content and the message. Drawing conclusions can also be taught with this book because students can put themselves in the author’s shoe to determine the author’s overall purpose for writing this biography.
Cynthia Antunes Title:What Lincoln Said by Sarah L. Thomson Citation: Thomson, Sarah L. (2009). What Lincoln Said. New York, NY: Harper’s Collins Publishers Inc. Reading Level: DRA: 38 Guided Reading Level: O Grade Level Equivalent: 3.8 Description: The book uses President Abraham Lincoln’s direct quotes as an addition to the author’s text. All of Lincoln’s direct quotes are written in red so they are easily distinguished from the author’s text. Although it is a biography of his life, the book does not go into too much of his own personal background. Instead the book focuses more on his career. The book is really interesting and enjoyable because the text is concise and interesting. The illustrations also make the book interesting for students because the illustrations are large, colorful, and somewhat cartoonish. Suggested Literacy Strategy: The comprehension strategy that would be the best to use with this book is: summarizing, because there is a lot of information and details. Students will get practice picking out the most important parts of a book to create a summary. When teaching students about summarizing, the book can be split into sections so that students can write a summary about when he was younger, during his presidency, and his death/legacy, or the students can summarize the whole book.
Tom Medvecky Title: Derek Jeter: Daring to Dream Citation: Thornley, Stew. (2004). Derek Jeter: Daring to Dream. Enslow Publishers. Reading Level: 4-6 Description: The spring time is a great time of year for students. The life outside is coming back, days are getting warmer and longer. Students become more ancy and less focused. As a teacjher, it is a good idea to bring in new material and different ideas for them so that stay interested. One way is to use a biography of someone famous so that they can relate. This biography is about Derek Jeter who plays for the Yankees. Students will recognize his name as the baseball season begins and be interested in his story. The book tracks his life from birth to his current position in MLB. It gives facts and details about his life that show more of him than just his baseball career. Suggested Reading Strategy: As with most biographies, the main point or idea is to give a background and insight into someone's life. In order for the students to stay focused and comprhend the information being given, the best reading comprehension strategy is summarizing. By summarizing they can stay focused on only the most important ideas like those that affected Jeter's life or baseball career.
Christina Marino: Title: Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Citation: Marzollo, J., (1993). Happy birthday, Martin Luther King. New York: Scholastic Press. Reading Level: Grades: K-2; Guided Reading Level: L; DRA Level: 24-28 Description: This book discusses Martin Luther King Jr.’s life from the moment he was born to the day that he died. In the beginning, it discusses what he was like as a young boy, where he went to school, how he became a Reverend, and other qualities that he shared with his father. It also talks about how Martin Luther King helped changed the laws that discriminated against Blacks in the community. We celebrate Martin Luther King Day because he was an important person who helped millions of people gain freedom. Literacy Strategy: Main Idea would be a good strategy to use with this book. It gives children the chance to think about what the author wants readers to remember after reading this story. Students will be able to realize that the main idea is that Martin Luther King was an extremely important person who helped changed laws and bring freedom to America, which is why we celebrate Martin Luther King Day every year.
Margaret Molloy The Story of Ruby Bridges By Robert Coles
Illustrated by George Ford Citation: Coles, R. (1995). The Story of Ruby Bridges. New York: Scholastic. Grade Levels: 1-3 Summary: This is a story about a young girl Ruby Bridges. Ruby lived during the age of black and white segregation in the South. She was from a very poor family. Black and white children were not allowed to go to the same school, which was unfair and against the law. So a judge ordered that four girls attend designated white schools. Ruby was one of these girls. Everyday she faced angry mobs walking into school. None of the parents will let their children go to school so Ruby attends an empty school, but continues to learn and strive for equality. One day Ruby’s teacher sees her stop in the middle of the mob and it looks like she is talking. When asked about it Ruby said that she was praying for the angry people and she usually does it at the corner but today she forgot and had to pray right in the middle of the mob. Suggested Literary Strategy: Students could look for a common theme in this book. You could use this book during black history month and tie the theme of this book along with other things you may be going over.
Debra Szubrowski Title: Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery Citation: Freedman, Russell (1994) Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery New York: NY, Houghton Mifflin Company. Reading Level: DRA: 44, Guided Reading: U Description: This book is a biography of the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. It talks about her upbringing and focuses on her accomplishments and how she devoted her life to helping others through teaching, advocating equal rights or working in government. She also served as a Delegate to the United Nations and as Chairman of the Human Rights Commission. This book would be good to incorporate in a social studies unit because it incorporates many big topics such as equal rights, women’s studies and humanitarianism. Suggested Comprehension Strategy: Summarizing would be a good strategy to use for this book because it includes so much information about Eleanor’s life. Students will need to learn how to summarize the book and find the most important information.
References
Moss, B & Lapp, D. (2010). Teaching new literacies in Grades K-3: Resources for 21st century classrooms. New York: Guilford.
Moss, B & Lapp, D. (2010). Teaching new literacies in Grades 4-6: Resources for 21st century classrooms. New York: Guilford.
Links to Graphic Organizers:
Resources:
Examples:
Student Responses:
Megan Garlette
Title: Famous Children: Mozart by Ann Rachlin
Citation: Rachlin, A. (1992). Famous Children: Mozart. London: Barron's Educational Series
Reading Level: DRA: 38 Guided Reading: O
Suggested Literacy Strategy: Predicting would be a good comprehension strategy to use in conjunction with this book. This story details the early years of Mozart’s life, however they go over little known facts about the musician. Students can make predictions about Mozart’s success on the various challenges he faces in the story.
Description: This book focuses on the childhood of Mozart and details the amazing feats he accomplished during the first few years of his life. Starting at age five, Mozart wows his father and is soon taken all around the world to display his musical talents. Readers will become engaged in the funny tales of the young child’s amazing talents.
Kaitlin Farrell
Citation: Venezia, M. (1988). Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists: Picasso.
Chicago, IL: Children’s Press.
Reading Level: 2-5; DRA: 38; Guided Reading: P
Suggested Literacy Strategy: Evaluating; Since the book revolves around art and includes examples of art, students can practice making judgements about the information that is presented.
Description: This book covers the life story of the famous painter named Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). The book covers how his life has effected his work, how Picasso’s pieces of art have changed over time, and why he is so well known. It includes many examples of Picasso’s most famous paintings. These paintings and their styles are then compared and contrasted. Cartoons drawn by the author are also included to describe scenes in Picasso’s life in a humorous way. There are no chapters and the text flows easily as if reading a story.
Jeanna Calia
Book: Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Citation: Pinkney, A. D. (1998). Duke Ellington. New York: Hyperion Books For Children.
Reading Level: DRA: 28 Guided Reading: L Grade Level Equiv: 5.5
Description: This biography is about the jazz musician, Duke Ellington, and it depicts the life of Duke as a young boy and his rise to fame during a time of racism. The story explains how he was a big part of the "evolution" of Jazz music. The biography describes Duke’s enormous talent as a piano player and how he was a great part of Harlem's Cotten Club history. He even performed at Carnegie Hall. The illustrations in this book are also bright and rhythmic with the writing.
Suggested Literacy Strategy: Students can use the Drawing Conclusions comprehension strategy when reading this book because they will be able to picture themselves in Duke’s shoes. Students can picture themselves with a similar special talent like Duke’s and come up with ways as to what their future may entail.
Randee Myers
Book: Harriet Tubman: A Woman of Courage by Renée Skelton
Citation: Skelton, R. (2005). Harriet Tubman: A Woman of Courage. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
Reading Level: DRA: 38; Guided Reading: P
Description: This biography tells the inspiring tale of Harriet Tubman, a former slave who fought for her own freedom as well as the freedom of other slaves. With a variety of interesting pictures and child-friendly text, this book pulls the reader into a time in American history where Harriet Tubman heroically helped hundreds of African Americans escape on the Underground Railroad.
Suggested Literacy Strategy: Biographies are filled with many interesting facts and useful information that allow students to make connections between
the lives of people in the past and the events of today. The strategy of summarizing, in which students are asked to recall or retell only the important information would be helpful for reading this type of text because it helps students focus on only the most significant events that occurred during a person’s life.
Casey Caruso
Book: Johnny Appleseed by Eva Moore
APA Citation: Moore, E. (1970). Johnny Appleseed. New York, NY: Scholastic Book, Inc.
Reading Level: DRA= 24, Guided Reading= K
Suggested Literacy Strategies: Students can use the summarizing comprehension strategy to better understand why Johnny Appleseed is a household name today. After they are finished reading the story, they can summarize it, highlighting the main points.
Description: This biography tells the story of Johnny Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. There are nine short, kid-friendly chapters in this book explaining how Johnny Chapman got the name Johnny "Appleseed." This book takes the reader through the life of Johnny Chapman from when he was just a little boy- up until he was an old man. Johnny Appleseed was a wonderful man and is now a household name!
Michelle Bonnetti
Book: The Beatles
Citation: Venezia, M. (1997), The Beatles. New York: Children's Press.
Reading Level: 30-34, N
Description: This book summarizes the lives of the memebers of The Beatles from when they are young kids. It tells how they all became interested in music and how they met each other and became a band. It talks about how the band functioned and worked together and then about why they split up.
Suggested Literacy Strategy: I would use the Synthesizing strategy for this book. Students could explore a bunch of different activities after readin gthis book. They can create a project showing what they've learned combining the knowledge form this book and the knowledge they received from other sources. They can compare what they read to other similar texts or they can compare the different members of the band to other members.
Kayleigh Shaw
Book: Dr.Seuss
Citation: Wheeler, Jill C. (1992). Dr. Seuss. Minneapolis, MN: Abdo Consulting Group, Inc.
Reading Level: Guided Reading- NR; Grade Level- 4.5
Description: This book tells the life story of Dr. Seuss, born Theodor Geisel. The book is divided into sections. Each section tells something different about Dr. Seuss and the important aspects of his life. A great deal of information is given about Dr. Seuss, ranging from his childhood to his adult life and his writing and books. This book gives insight as to why Dr. Seuss wrote the way he did and his inspiration for his books.
Suggested Literacy Strategy: Two strategies that can be applied to this text are synthesizing and summarizing. Students can practice summarizing after reading this book to help them pick out the most important information from the book and great deal of information presented. Students can also compare the information found in this text to either other biographies or to Dr. Seuss' books. Students can take what he says about his inspiration for his books and about specific books he wrote and compare that knowledge to those specific books.
Liz Kalajian
Book: Abe Lincoln’s Hat
Citation: Brenner, M. (1994). Abe Lincoln’s Hat. New York: Random House Children's Books.
Description: This book presents a biography of our important 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. It represents Abraham Lincoln in a humoristic manner and tells the story of his life as a young lawyer who kept all of his papers in his tall stovepipe hat. This short biography humanizes Abraham Lincoln and contains all true stories accompanied by lively watercolor illustrations.
Reading Level: DRA: 28, Guided Reading: M, Grade Level: 2-3
Suggested Literacy Strategy: The readers can use the literacy strategy of drawing conclusions so they can put themselves in the author’s shoe to evaluate and determine what was the purpose or agenda of writing this book. This book would serve as the epitome to use this literacy strategy because it depicts the period of time when Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer and the readers should conclude the purpose for including that part of his life in the book since he eventually became one of the presidents of the United States.
Jasmine Martin
Book: Strange Mr. Satie
Citation: Anderson, M.T. (2003). Strange Mr. Satie. New York, NY:Viking
Description: Picture book biography of the a musician by the name of Erik Satie. Though he was a shy man Satire had a strong love for music. He played the drum, piano, and he composed music. He wanted to create music that was love by both young and old people and followed his own musical rules, but many did not like it. He began very successful composing ballets in Paris. The pictures in the book are really colorful and lively students will enjoy looking at them.
Reading Level: DRA: 28, Guided Reading: M
Suggested Literacy Strategy: Students can use the summarizing literacy strategy to point out the most important points of Mr. Satire's life and write brief passage summaries of the book.
Lauren Masco
Book: Joan of Arc
Citation: Poole, J. (1998). Joan of arc. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Reading Level: Ages 8-11
Description: This picture book follows the life of Joan of Arc from her life as a farmer's daughter to martyrdom. It discusses how God spoke to her and told her it was her duty to save the city of Orleans from being taken over by the English, and to crown the real King of France. She leaves home, dresses like a man, learns to fight, and earns the respect of others as she leads them into battle against the English. She succeeds in beating the English and in crowning the proper King, however soon the English sentence her to death by burning under the accusation of witchcraft. She is put to death, but remains a saint and hero.
Suggested Literacy Strategy: The summarizing strategy would work best for this book, as there are a lot of facts and information given to the reader. The students should pick out the most important parts of Joan of Arc's story and summarize her life and good deeds.
Alli Clare
Title: Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford
Citation: Weatherford, C. B. (2006). Moses. New York, New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
Description: Moses tells the story of Harriet Tubman and her journey to freedom with vivid pictures and text. It takes her story and elaborates her faith in God. With the use of font changes, the voice of God interjects and talks to Harriet. The reader follows Harriet through her first escape from the South and her arrival in Philadelphia. Due to her undying faith in God, she trusts that she can return to the South and free her family members. Harriet then makes nineteen more trips to the South using the routes of the Underground Railroad and her faith in God.
Reading Level:
Grade: 3.5
DRA: 40
Guided Reading: Q
Suggested Literacy Strategy: Summarizing. This book has a great beginning, middle, and end that I think would make it easy for students to be introduced to the concept.
Gianna Seidler
Book Title: The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles
Citation: Coles, R. (1995). The Story of Ruby Bridges. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.
Reading Level: DRA: 38; Guided Reading: O; Grade: 5.4
Description: This book presents a biography of Ruby Bridges, the only African American child to attend a New Orleans elementary school after desegregation was court ordered in 1960. It elicits elements of shock as the author explains how the federal marshals escorted the brave six-year-old past angry crowds of white protestors who surrounded the school. The reader then follows Bridges through her school years, which were often alone, as the parents of the white students ignorantly kept them home and away from her. Coles' use of quotes from her teacher also adds to the story's powerfulness, as it allows the reader to put the emotions of this compelling time period into perspective. Finally, the use of watercolors make the illustrations vivid and colorful, thereby contributing to its captivating quality.
Suggested Literacy Strategy: Because this biography is filled with a great deal of facts, some of which are more important than others, the strategy of summarizing, where students are asked to retell only the important information, would be applicable for reading this story. Applying such a strategy would force the reader to pay specific attention to only the most significant events that occurred Ruby Bridges' life, thereby enhancing its usefulness.
Jen Levine
Book: Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson
Citation: Davidson, Margaret. (1969). Helen Keller. New York: Scholastic.
Description: Helen Keller is a biography about a girl named Helen Keller. Helen was born deaf and blind. Unable to see, hear, or speak, Helen was unable to communicate with those around her. A woman named Anne Sullivan worked with Helen to teach her how to talk, read, and communicate with others. This book contains many stories of the hardships and struggles Helen went through and how she worked hard to overcome them.
Reading Level: DRA: 28; Guided Reading: M
Suggested Literacy Strategy: Students can use the main idea comprehension strategy while reading this book. Helen Keller overcame many obstacles in her life and it is shown in this story. Students can look at the main idea of this story and be inspired. They should realize after reading this book and looking at the main idea that they can overcome anything if they work hard at it.
Erin Jackson
Book: A Picture Book of Anne Frank by David A. Adler
Citation: Adler, D. (1993). A Picture Book of Anne Frank. New York, NY: Holiday House.
Reading Level: DRA: 28, Guided Reading: M, Grade Level: 5.2
Description: This picture book chronicles the life of Anne Frank who was a young Jewish girl who lived in Poland during World War II. She wrote a diary describing how she lived in hiding until they were caught and sent to a camp, where she died. In the back of the book is a timeline of the important dates in Anne Frank’s life. The book also provides a lot of background information on the Holocaust.
Suggested Literacy Strategies: There are a lot of comprehension literacy strategies that could be used with this biography, such as summarizing, synthesizing, and drawing conclusions. Since there are a lot of facts in the book, summarizing would be good strategy for students to use to pull out the most important information. In addition, if this book is read along with other similar books on the same topic, students can use synthesizing to find similarities in the content and the message. Drawing conclusions can also be taught with this book because students can put themselves in the author’s shoe to determine the author’s overall purpose for writing this biography.
Cynthia Antunes
Title: What Lincoln Said by Sarah L. Thomson
Citation: Thomson, Sarah L. (2009). What Lincoln Said. New York, NY: Harper’s Collins Publishers Inc.
Reading Level: DRA: 38 Guided Reading Level: O Grade Level Equivalent: 3.8
Description: The book uses President Abraham Lincoln’s direct quotes as an addition to the author’s text. All of Lincoln’s direct quotes are written in red so they are easily distinguished from the author’s text. Although it is a biography of his life, the book does not go into too much of his own personal background. Instead the book focuses more on his career. The book is really interesting and enjoyable because the text is concise and interesting. The illustrations also make the book interesting for students because the illustrations are large, colorful, and somewhat cartoonish.
Suggested Literacy Strategy: The comprehension strategy that would be the best to use with this book is: summarizing, because there is a lot of information and details. Students will get practice picking out the most important parts of a book to create a summary. When teaching students about summarizing, the book can be split into sections so that students can write a summary about when he was younger, during his presidency, and his death/legacy, or the students can summarize the whole book.
Tom Medvecky
Title: Derek Jeter: Daring to Dream
Citation: Thornley, Stew. (2004). Derek Jeter: Daring to Dream. Enslow Publishers.
Reading Level: 4-6
Description: The spring time is a great time of year for students. The life outside is coming back, days are getting warmer and longer. Students become more ancy and less focused. As a teacjher, it is a good idea to bring in new material and different ideas for them so that stay interested. One way is to use a biography of someone famous so that they can relate. This biography is about Derek Jeter who plays for the Yankees. Students will recognize his name as the baseball season begins and be interested in his story. The book tracks his life from birth to his current position in MLB. It gives facts and details about his life that show more of him than just his baseball career.
Suggested Reading Strategy: As with most biographies, the main point or idea is to give a background and insight into someone's life. In order for the students to stay focused and comprhend the information being given, the best reading comprehension strategy is summarizing. By summarizing they can stay focused on only the most important ideas like those that affected Jeter's life or baseball career.
Christina Marino:
Title: Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King
Citation: Marzollo, J., (1993). Happy birthday, Martin Luther King. New York: Scholastic Press.
Reading Level: Grades: K-2; Guided Reading Level: L; DRA Level: 24-28
Description: This book discusses Martin Luther King Jr.’s life from the moment he was born to the day that he died. In the beginning, it discusses what he was like as a young boy, where he went to school, how he became a Reverend, and other qualities that he shared with his father. It also talks about how Martin Luther King helped changed the laws that discriminated against Blacks in the community. We celebrate Martin Luther King Day because he was an important person who helped millions of people gain freedom.
Literacy Strategy: Main Idea would be a good strategy to use with this book. It gives children the chance to think about what the author wants readers to remember after reading this story. Students will be able to realize that the main idea is that Martin Luther King was an extremely important person who helped changed laws and bring freedom to America, which is why we celebrate Martin Luther King Day every year.
Margaret Molloy
The Story of Ruby Bridges By Robert Coles
Illustrated by George Ford
Citation: Coles, R. (1995). The Story of Ruby Bridges. New York: Scholastic.
Grade Levels: 1-3
Summary: This is a story about a young girl Ruby Bridges. Ruby lived during the age of black and white segregation in the South. She was from a very poor family. Black and white children were not allowed to go to the same school, which was unfair and against the law. So a judge ordered that four girls attend designated white schools. Ruby was one of these girls. Everyday she faced angry mobs walking into school. None of the parents will let their children go to school so Ruby attends an empty school, but continues to learn and strive for equality. One day Ruby’s teacher sees her stop in the middle of the mob and it looks like she is talking. When asked about it Ruby said that she was praying for the angry people and she usually does it at the corner but today she forgot and had to pray right in the middle of the mob.
Suggested Literary Strategy: Students could look for a common theme in this book. You could use this book during black history month and tie the theme of this book along with other things you may be going over.
Debra Szubrowski
Title: Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery
Citation: Freedman, Russell (1994) Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery New York: NY, Houghton Mifflin Company.
Reading Level: DRA: 44, Guided Reading: U
Description: This book is a biography of the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. It talks about her upbringing and focuses on her accomplishments and how she devoted her life to helping others through teaching, advocating equal rights or working in government. She also served as a Delegate to the United Nations and as Chairman of the Human Rights Commission. This book would be good to incorporate in a social studies unit because it incorporates many big topics such as equal rights, women’s studies and humanitarianism.
Suggested Comprehension Strategy: Summarizing would be a good strategy to use for this book because it includes so much information about Eleanor’s life. Students will need to learn how to summarize the book and find the most important information.